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Eircom Wi-Fi Now Available in Insomnia Coffee Stores

Free 30 minute Wi-Fi card for all Insomnia Coffee customers

Insomnia Coffee Company as Irelands largest coffee chain, to offer customers access to eircom Wi-Fi in 33 Insomnia Coffee stores across the country.

eircom’s wireless broadband hotspot locations allow users to access their emails, files and surf the Internet away from their home or office. Users can avail of reliable and fast broadband within 50 metres of designated eircom Wi-Fi hotspots.

Insomnia Coffee Company CEO, Bobby Kerr said, 'This initiative further enhances our value proposition to our customers, and attract existing eircom wireless subscribers . As Irelands leading coffee chain with almost 4 million customers and growing we are committed to giving customers real value and today marks another important step in delivering on our customer promise of high quality food and beverages with excellent service and value.'

Commenting on today’s announcement, Michael Kennedy, Marketing Director, eircom said 'Our Wi-Fi hotspots offer great flexibility to customers in both their work and home lives. eircom broadband customers do not have to be at home or in the office to access the Internet, this offer allows them to surf at a time and in a place that suits them. Customers who sign up and register online for our Wi-Fi promotion will not only be able to access eircom Wi-Fi hotspots free of charge in Insomnia stores across the country but they will also have free access to almost 1,100 hotspots around the country'.

A full list of eircom Wi-Fi hotspots can be found on our store list attached or at www.eircom.ie/hotspot.

The new outlet is part of Insomnia’s continued Dublin City expansion plan which last year saw 15 new Coffee outlets open in 2007.

The new outlet will open daily from 6.45am am Mon- Fri, and from 8.30am – 1.30pmon on Saturdays. This store will be unique in that An Post will continue to operate their postal services.

Insomnia is Ireland’s largest independent café brand, and has been recognised as Europe's 5th fastest cafe brand

CEO of Insomnia Bobby Kerr commented:

“We are delighted to be opening this outlet on Earlsfort Terrace. This is a truly vibrant part of Dublin 2 and we are very happy to be part of that. Our aim is to offer our customers a place to pop in and get that all essential Fairtrade coffee whether on the way to the office, on a lunch break, and even while posting those letters or getting stamps.

“This is our 2nd new store opening for 2008, and we have earmarked a further 23 sites for 2008. Last week we opened a Barista offering in the Spar Blackpool Cork , returning to Dublin 4 to open a 3rd store in early March” .

All new stores continue our commitment to fair-trade in all of our stores.

Insomnia coffee company is the only coffee company in Ireland that can offer our customers ‘roast to order’ Fairtrade coffee - meaning the unique Insomnia blend of coffee is specially roasted for us weekly. The shorter the time between roasting and serving, the fresher, smoother and fuller flavoured the taste. Try it & see!

Leading Irish Coffee Retail Brand To Expand Into North European Markets

Insomnia Coffee Company has just signed a deal which will see the Irish brand expand into Northern Europe. The Icelandic Penninn Group have purchased a 51% majority stake in the privately owned coffee company. The deal, consisting of €12 million cash and €4 million debt, values the business at €16m. The deal will provide a major cash injection for the company’s plans to open stores across the Scandinavian, Nordic and Baltic regions.

The company is run by its director shareholders, Bobby Kerr CEO, Chris Foxton, CFO and Harry O’Kelly Operations Director, who are significant shareholders along with non-executive director John Clohisey. The deal will see the four primary shareholders retaining a 49% stake in the enlarged venture as it expands across Europe. The company will benefit from a significant cash boost to finance its ambitious growth plans into Europe. Insomnia is the market leader in branded coffee outlets with 41 stores accounting for almost 14% of this market in Ireland.

Speaking after the deal, Insomnia CEO Bobby Kerr, said, “We are delighted with the deal which reflects the success of the company in pioneering the branded coffee retail concept in Ireland. There are very significant synergies between ourselves and the Penninn Group, which we will aim to maximise over the coming months towards replicating the Insomnia experience in the European market. We are particularly proud and excited about the prospects of seeing our Irish brand having a multinational presence.”

Penninn Group, is a major Icelandic based diversified group with interests in retail, coffee roasting and distribution, office supplies and bookstores. The group currently employs over 1200 people with a turnover of €200 Million. Commenting on the deal, Penninn Group CEO, Kristinn Vilbergsson, said, “We recognise that Insomnia is a great brand with universal translation and excellent export potential. I am particularly excited about working with the current Irish management team who will retain responsibility for driving the brand both in Ireland and across Northern Europe.”

Insomnia is celebrating 10 years since it opened its doors to Irish consumers and is recognised as having pioneered the branded retail coffee concept in Ireland. The company has grown steadily during this time and is the market leader in Ireland. In 2006 Insomnia was the first high street coffee brand to offer only Fairtrade hot beverages in its stores. The company is planning to announce its expansion plans for Ireland next week.

Chocoholics take note - Insomnia is now serving Ireland’s most delicious hot chocolate. Treat Yourself to the Most Delicious Hot Chocolate Imaginable

The sumptuous new drink was specially developed by Lily O’Brien’s Chocolate and is made using the highest quality Belgian chocolate, blended to Lily O’Brien’s own unique recipe. The chocolate is gradually melted and tempered to reach the correct consistency. A full ladle of the mouth-watering chocolate is then poured into your mug, as each individual drink is made to order. Topped up with freshly frothed milk, chocolate flakes and marshmallows according to customer’s desires, Lily O’Brien’s Hot Chocolate is a perfect for a moment of indulgence during busy weekdays or chill-out weekends.

The drink was specially developed by master chocolatiers at Lily O’Brien’s and is produced to a unique secret recipe using a blend of the finest cocoa beans from Madagascar, Ivory Coast and Ghana. It is produced without vegetable fats, with a higher cocoa content and using a carefully balanced recipe of cocoa liqueur, cocoa butter and sugar to give the distinctive smooth mouth feel associated with the finest chocolate available.

The Hot Chocolate is available at Insomnia Stores throughout from November.

Greystones’ Growing Café Culture

Residents of Greystones will now be waking up to the sweet smell of Insomnia Coffee Company’s unique blend of freshly brewed coffee following the official launch of their 34th outlet at Gweedore, Main Street , Greystones, Wicklow.

Insomnia’s latest opening is their first in Wicklow and is part of Insomnia’s continued expansion outside Dublin.

2007 has been another successful year for Insomnia, with 7 new store openings already this year and another 4 planned before the year end.

The company has also sold over 2million cups of coffee so far this year, showing the fully Irish-owned chain continues to be the No.1 choice for coffee connoisseurs nationwide.

On their decision to move into the Greystones, Bobby Kerr, CEO of Insomnia, said:

“The continued expansion of our property portfolio outside Dublin is proving highly successful with our customers in Louth, Cork , and Galway, and now Wicklow. We are delighted to have launched this new store in Greystones – it’s such a vibrant beautiful area and we believe that Insomnia will become an integral part of this local community, offering residents and visitors alike a café culture experience to remember.”

The new Greystones store has seating for up to 30 people and employing 5 staff will be open 8am-7pm Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on Saturdays and from 10am to 5pm on Sundays.

100% Irish-owned Insomnia is Ireland’s largest indigenous café brand with 34 branches nationwide including Cork, Galway and Louth and a presence in 84 Spar outlets – the latest of which has just opened in Spar in Santry Wood.

Insomnia coffee company is the only coffee company in Ireland that can offer our customers ‘roast to order’ Fairtrade coffee - meaning the unique Insomnia blend of coffee is specially roasted for us on a weekly basis. The shorter the time between roasting and serving, the fresher, smoother and fuller flavoured the taste. Insomnia serves a double shot of espresso in every coffee.

Insomnia Coffee Company has this week opened their 33rd store on South Leinster Street, Dublin 2.

The new outlet is part of Insomnia’s continued nationwide expansion plan which last year saw 10 new Coffee outlets and will see a further 5 additional stand-alone stores open by the year end.

The new outlet seats up to 30 people and will be open daily from 6.45am am Mon- Fri, 9am on Saturday on Sundays.

Insomnia is 100% Irish owned and is Ireland’s largest independent café brand.

CEO of Insomnia Bobby Kerr commented:

“We are delighted to be opening this outlet on South Leinster Street. This is a truly vibrant part of the city and we are very happy to be part of that. Our aim is to offer our customers a place to relax away from the hustle and bustle, a little haven away from the chaos where they can relax and re-charge their batteries.

“This is a very exciting time for Insomnia. This is our 6th new store opening this year and we’ve also just launched our new corporate lunch platter delivery service which we believe has really raised the bar in terms of corporate platter standards. For the remainder of this year we have a further 5 new store openings planned and will be continuing our commitment to fair-trade in all of our stores.”

Insomnia coffee company is the only coffee company in Ireland that can offer our customers ‘roast to order’ Fairtrade coffee - meaning the unique Insomnia blend of coffee is specially roasted for us weekly. The shorter the time between roasting and serving, the fresher, smoother and fuller flavoured the taste. Try it & see!

Insomnia Coffee Company have kick started the summer with the introduction of a delicious new range of healthy salads, sandwiches and frappes. These innovative new additions to the Insomnia range provide customers with a wider choice of exciting lunchtime options than ever before.

Joining our already extensive gourmet menu, 5 new salad bowls will be introduced, including tasty delights such as Crayfish Noodle Salad, Smoked Turkey Salad, Spicy Chicken Salad, Chicken Caesar and Greek Salad. Prices range from €5.75 to €5.95.

New additions to the delicious gourmet sandwich range include Taco Tuna, Focaccia Special, Chicken Caeser Wrap, Classic Bagel and Roast Beef & Horseradish, to name but a few. Insomnia is also proud to announce their Garden Salad Wrap has received acknowledgement from The Irish Heart Foundation and has been stamped with their healthy heart seal of approval.

Insomnia are also expanding their celebrated range of ‘IceCap’ blended Frappes. New flavours include Carrot & Ginger which is expected to be popular with customers as the summer months heat up.

Residents of Clonee have reason to sit back and relax as Insomnia Coffee Company opened their new outlet at Clonee Garden Works this week.

Insomnia is 100% Irish owned and is Ireland’s largest independent café brand. The new outlet in Clonee marks their 31st outlet opening. More locations will follow this year which include the rollout of their nationwide expansion on Dublin’s outer ring in Greystones and Naas and plans for a second location in Cork.

The new outlet seats up to 80 People and will be open daily from 9.30 am Mon- Sat and 12 noon on Sundays.

To celebrate the opening of the new outlet Insomnia took the opportunity to present Melanie Drea of Fairtrade Mark Ireland with a cheque for €7800. 100% Fairtrade since August 2006, Insomnia raised the figure during Fairtrade Fortnight by committing to donate 5c per Fairtrade beverage including tea, hot chocolate and all coffees sold during the two week period.

CEO of Insomnia Bobby Kerr said “We are delighted to be opening this outlet in Clonee, and to be continuing our commitment to and relationship with Fairtrade Mark Ireland.”

Clonee is our second venture with Gardenworks, following on from our successful partnership in Malahide. This is our first endeavour into West Dublin and will be followed by a opening in Early Summer within Blanchardstown . This enables our daily city customers to relax at the weekend in Insomnia close to their homes.

Insomnia Coffee Company, Ireland’s largest independent coffee company today (Monday 2nd April) opened their 30th outlet on Talbot St.

To celebrate the opening of the new outlet Insomnia took the opportunity to present Melanie Drea of Fairtrade Mark Ireland with a cheque for €7800. 100% Fairtrade since August 2006, Insomnia raised the figure during Fairtrade Fortnight by committing to donate 5c per Fairtrade beverage including tea, hot chocolate and all coffees sold during the two week period.

Bobby Kerr said “We are delighted to be opening our 30th outlet today, and to be continuing our commitment to and relationship with Fairtrade Mark Ireland.”

The Talbot St. outlet will seat up to 16 people and will be open daily from 7am.

The company is continually upgrading their stores to maintain the contemporary feel of the café brand experience including the newly renovated Blackrock store which re-opened on 15th March. More locations locations will follow this year which include the rollout of their nationwide expansion on Dublin’s outer ring in Greystones and Naas and plans for a second location in Cork.

With Ireland fast moving from pub culture to café culture, competition in the café brand industry is phenomenal. Last year saw global giants Starbucks entered the Irish market. However, unlike our EU neighbours they, as of yet, have not managed to put their stamp on the Irish market. Bobby Kerr, CEO of Insomnia, says “We welcome the competition, at Insomnia we have a very strong customer base, we are 100% Irish owned and our move to 100% Fairtrade in 2006 has really boosted our appeal as the majority of the Irish nation has become more aware of the Fairtrade movement.